Archives for October 16, 2017

SINGAPORE — Car-lite neighbourhoods potentially served by self-driving vehicles that take residents to and from nearby MRT stations. Bigger green spaces and wider sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists. Buildings that are “sensitive” to the natural and built-up landscape.

These are among the features that could define future neighbourhoods in Singapore, starting with three upcoming ones – Bayshore in the east, Holland Plain in the central-west, and Kampong Bugis which is near the city.

Details of the proposals were unveiled on Monday (Oct 16) by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) at the launch of a month-long exhibition at the URA Centre Atrium.

At the heart of the proposals are three broad concepts: Car-lite neighbourhoods that put the people’s needs first, vibrant and inviting community spaces that encourage interaction, and the incorporation of environmental features that not only enliven the living spaces but assist in recycling and waste management.

The URA said it wants to encourage greater interaction among residents and the community at large without sacrificing their need for privacy and security. Suggestions to do this include creating a more “open-concept” precinct that makes better use of landscaping, or water features, as natural barriers.

“As people’s needs, values and aspirations change, we thought it timely to see how we could plan for endearing neighbourhoods that could provide for quality living and meet the lifestyle needs of our residents,” URA’s chief executive officer Lim Eng Hwee was quoted saying in a statement.

The three new neighbourhoods are slated to have a combined total of about 19,000 private and public housing units. Holland Plain and Kampong Bugis are expected to have private housing, while Bayshore will have a mix of public and private properties.

At Kampong Bugis, which will be launched in a year or two’s time, the URA intends for it to be developed into a car-lite town for residents and families who prefer taking public transport, or walking and cycling.

The lower car dependency in the neighbourhood will likely mean fewer parking spaces, with the land freed up instead for parks and community spaces.

At the precinct, which will be planned and designed by a master developer, car park lot provisions could be adjusted to one lot for every two residential units.

A district-level pneumatic waste conveyance system — a first for a private residential district — has also been proposed. The system can collect waste from all residential units into one central station through a vacuum system.

Meanwhile, Holland Plain estate, which sits adjacent to the rail corridor and is scheduled for a 2021 launch, will feature plenty of green spaces, according to the proposals showcased by the URA. This includes a new wetland park and a large community plain.

There are also proposed plans to widen the neighbourhood’s sidewalks for pedestrians and cyclists. For instance, the existing 1.5m-wide footpaths on the fringes of Holland Plain could be expanded to 3.5m-wide.

The URA added that new buildings in Holland Plain will be “sensitive” to its surroundings, by taking into account the area’s “sloping character”, and its proximity to landed housing estates, the Rail corridor, and the park connector along the diversion canal.

For Bayshore, which will be launched after 2024, the URA is looking to turn it into a “future-ready community”. Suggestions floated include making it a car-lite neighbourhood, potentially with self-driving vehicles providing residents transportation to and from the two MRT stations that serve the estate.

There would be fewer car park lots, and roads in the estate could be reduced from three to two lanes in order to free up space for community facilities. “The master plan will anticipate changes in technology in phases, providing resiliency to adapt to the changing needs,” the URA said.

These proposals will be exhibited on weekdays from Oct 16 to Nov 20. The public is invited to provide feedback on the ideas shown, and can either do so at the exhibition, or online at ura.sg/futurehoods

More than 10 years after serving his first and only term, businessman Mitch Morehead said he’s ready to make his return to the Bryan City Council.

He represented the entire city in the at-large Place 6 position from 2000 to 2003, and served as mayor pro-tem for two of those years. Morehead lost his re-election campaign in 2003 to former councilman Russell Bradley, and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2010 against Jason Bienski. But Morehead says he still wants the opportunity to serve the city once more — this time he’s seeking incumbent Councilman Mike Southerland’s District 4 seat.

Morehead, 57, is a lifelong Bryan resident who was born and raised in District 4. Morehead says he grew up riding his bike through neighborhoods that have since “deteriorated.”

“As I’ve lived now [back in District] 4 for a couple years, looking at things I think should be done that haven’t gotten done, I think 4 needs a champion,” Morehead said. “And I know that I can be that person.”

Morehead, who is president and co-owner of ACME Glass, the company his father and uncle started in 1946, said one of the most important things the District 4 election can do is “turn the page and close the book on the division in Bryan.” Morehead describes himself as an independent thinker but a team player who can be the person to “get some very positive things done in the city.”

Morehead believes Southerland has lost the ability to “have rapport” with the rest of the City Council. That ability to build a good working relationship with fellow council members to earn support for ideas is one of the most important lessons Morehead says he learned from his first term on the council.

“You’ve got to work with others,” Morehead said. “You can’t go in thinking you’ve got all the answers.”

Much has changed in Bryan since Morehead’s first turn on the City Council. The Traditions Club development — the city’s involvement with which Morehead was highly critical during its beginnings — has been a “lifesaver” for west Bryan, he said. The contracts for Traditions were the “hot topic” at the time, Morehead said, but he now feels proud to have the development in the city. Now, a more recent trending topic in Bryan has Morehead’s attention — the so-called stealth dorms that have been built in several single-family neighborhoods.

Morehead said he thinks the city is behind the curve on the issue. And while there are some areas that the by-the-bedroom rental properties should be “encouraged,” Morehead said, there are others where they should be off-limits, like Bryan’s older established neighborhoods.

Part of that means requiring more plans from developers who submit rezoning requests for land near neighborhoods. The city “should do more on the front end” to know what potential negative impacts a development could bring, such as traffic, Morehead said. He pointed to the council’s 6-1 vote — Southerland opposed — to approve a conditional use permit to allow construction of an apartment complex in District 4 behind Hillier Funeral Home just south of East 29th Street. That was a vote Morehead said he disagreed with.

In addition to protecting neighborhoods, another key point of Morehead’s message is his desire to improve the aesthetics of Bryan’s major corridors. Morehead refers to how he worked with the rest of the council at the time on the redevelopment of Manor East Mall into what is now the Tejas Center. which he says kicked off the transformation of Texas Avenue and Villa Maria Road.

Working with developers on that project was “common sense” economic development Morehead said he’d like to see applied through conversations with property owners along East 29th Street, Texas Avenue, South College Avenue and Villa Maria Road. “In all those major corridors, we can see what we can do when it’s a run-down property, see what we can do to try to help the aesthetics of it, because it just makes you feel better when you’re driving through the area and you see nice buildings,” Morehead said.

Implementing an overlay district on Texas Avenue is another of Morehead’s ideas. Additional building and landscaping standards there would help “create a look that you’re trying to achieve in the city,” he said. Morehead also would like to see improvements in the city’s east-west Central Business Corridor of Briarcrest Drive and Villa Maria Road.

Improving the “overall look and feel” of Bryan is something the council will have to prioritize and set aside funds for, Morehead said, adding that he would not support a tax rate increase “unless it was just inevitable.”

“In my business, I don’t want to pay more taxes — I always try to run an efficient business, and I would hope to see we would run [the city] in the same fashion,” Morehead said. “But I always feel like if you prioritize things and make it important, work with the council members… they’ll find a way to get it in the budget.”

Morehead said he never missed a meeting during his three years on council, and holds the same expectations for himself should he win the District 4 race. While voters may approve a proposed charter amendment on Nov. 7 that would lower the minimum required meetings of the council from two to one per month, Morehead said he actually prefers having two, which he thinks offered citizens more transparency.

Another meeting procedure Morehead would prefer changing is holding Hear Citizens at 6 p.m. — the portion of the meeting was bumped up to 5:30 earlier this year. Morehead said if elected he may suggest moving that time and televising that part of the meeting live again.

“I will always side with open government and including the citizens in the process,” he said.

Early voting begins Oct. 23 and runs through Nov. 3. Election Day is Nov. 7.

John was born in Greenville, Pa. on Dec. 17, 1955, to Vincent and Gloria (Rutter) Barry.

After graduating from Brookfield High School in 1974, John proudly served his country in the U.S. Army.

Over the years, John worked for Koppers, Cottage Gardens and Dutch Hill Landscaping before retiring after 11 years from Ivor J. Lee. He was also the co-inventor of the Body Keeper, a protective body vest used in sports.

Active in his community, John was a volunteer with the Brookfield Police Department, even graduating from their Citizens Patrol course. He also assisted with the Hubbard Kiwanis Haunted House.

He loved fishing and camping and could frequently be found at Shenango River Lake. He also was a great cook and loved making Chicken on the Spit for his family and friends. John enjoyed playing Bingo as well.

Visitation will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Lane Funeral Homes, Madasz Chapel, 6923 Warren-Sharon Road.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. at St. Rose Catholic Church, 48 Main St, Girard.

Burial with military honors will follow at Brookfield Cemetery.

John is survived by his children, Christine (John) Bloom, Shawn Barry and Brian Barry; his wife, Barbara Barry; his granddaughters who made him very happy, Victoria, Isabella, Elizabeth and Sophia; his brother, Vincent Barry; his sister, Mary (Dennis) Gill; and his stepbrothers, Mark and Lee Hodom.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his sisters, Patty Barry and Rose Curtain.

For all of Hawaii’s natural wonders, enjoying a forest here in its native state isn’t easy. You can endure a strenuous hike in the mountains —or you could drive past Hanalei Bay on the North Shore of Kauai to a parcel of magnificent terrain presided over by the lush twin peaks of Makana Mountain.

Today, the area comprises the Limahuli Garden Preserve, a botanical masterpiece housing archaeological sites linked by a trail highlighting about 250 species of plants. These include those carried here by Polynesians as well as later introductions to the island.

A visit to the 23-year-old Limahuli Preserve is often combined with a day trip to the Kalalau Trail (the only land access to the secluded Na Pali Coast) just half a mile away.

Iarrived at the garden eager to learn about early Hawaii. I was awestruck by the Limahuli Valley, in the shadow of Makana Mountain, the inspiration for Bali Hai in the 1958 blockbuster “South Pacific.”

It was hard not to be mesmerized by the green hues and velvet-like textures of the vegetation framed by a blue sky dotted with fast-moving white clouds.

Limahuli, which means “turning hands,” is much more than just a pretty place. Said Kawika Winter, the garden’s director: “People drive to the end of the road … hike the trail and look at the coastline, but what many don’t recognize is that they’re standing in the most biodiverse eco region of the entire [Hawaiian] archipelago in a place with a very deep cultural history.”

The 17-acre garden, set in the narrow valley, is a living demonstration of resource management developed and practiced by the Polynesians, said to have arrived on the island as early as 200.

And those turning hands? They refer to those responsible for building lava rock terraces, which supported the growth of taro, a source of nutrition for the ancient people.

I encountered those terraces, still planted with taro, on the way to the Canoe Garden, my first stop as I snaked my way uphill on a self-guided tour along the three-quarter-mile loop trail.

This particular garden, so named because many of the plants were carried here by Polynesians in their canoes, is set among the archaeological vestiges of a farming complex that once sustained the community and is thought to be one of the Hawaiian Islands’ earliest settlements.

The islands at that time had few edible plants and, except for some flightless birds, no mammals to hunt. No wonder those vessels were packed with some 27 varieties ofplants along with jungle fowl, pigs, rats and dogs.

As I climbed higher, I passed patches of sweet potato, banana and turmeric, finally arriving at a display of niu, or coconut palm. It too was brought by the Polynesians.

The same goes for ko, or sugar cane, also planted here. This member of the grass family once constituted an important industry in the state, but the last plantation — on Maui — closed in 2016.

I also encountered a stand of awapuhi, or shampoo ginger, known for its hair-moisturizing properties. In late summer, it reveals red or purple flower heads and a soapy, aromatic sap.

The Plantation Era Garden, named for the plants brought to the islands in the last 200 years, was my final stop along the trail.

Winter described it as “more emblematic of the landscaping you see around family homes. Many of the plants that have become iconic symbols of Hawaii, like the pineapple and the bird-of-paradise flower, actually have very shallow connections to Hawaiian culture.”

These plants and the brightly colored orchids, mango, papaya, gardenia and even plumeria arrived with immigrant workers for those sugar plantations.

I contemplatedall thisat one of my favorite spots in the garden, the path that runsalongside Limahuli Stream. There’s nothing like flowing water to calm the minds and bring the whole scene into sharp relief.

“It’s one of the last pristine streams in all of Hawaii. Even just to get a moment to sit and observe that — it’s very Zen-like,” Winter said.

It’s also the ideal place to thank those ancient and not-so-ancient settlers for making this place the verdant paradise it is today.

If you go

THE BEST WAY TO KAUAI

From LAX, United, American, Delta and Hawaiian offer nonstop service to Lihue, Kauai. Restricted round-trip airfares from $536, including taxes and fees.

Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds follows Mark Twain’s trail through the silver-mining town of Virginia City, Nev.; the north shore of Lake Tahoe (where the great author once started a forest fire); and the California Gold Country, where Twain spent a winter on Jackass Hill.

Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds follows Mark Twain’s trail through the silver-mining town of Virginia City, Nev.; the north shore of Lake Tahoe (where the great author once started a forest fire); and the California Gold Country, where Twain spent a winter on Jackass Hill.

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Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds follows Mark Twain’s trail through the silver-mining town of Virginia City, Nev.; the north shore of Lake Tahoe (where the great author once started a forest fire); and the California Gold Country, where Twain spent a winter on Jackass Hill.

Times travel writer Christopher Reynolds follows Mark Twain’s trail through the silver-mining town of Virginia City, Nev.; the north shore of Lake Tahoe (where the great author once started a forest fire); and the California Gold Country, where Twain spent a winter on Jackass Hill.

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There is no place as intense and wondrous and few people as compelling as those who make the California desert their home.

There is no place as intense and wondrous and few people as compelling as those who make the California desert their home.

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A look back at 2016 highlights from Vivid Sydney

A look back at 2016 highlights from Vivid Sydney

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The national monument, about 70 miles from San Luis Obispo, is ablaze with color

The national monument, about 70 miles from San Luis Obispo, is ablaze with color

In a small lot next to a convenience store on the corner of 39th and Center streets lies a bed of tiny bushes, purple and yellow flowers and four lanterns, all surrounding a photo of Emani Robinson, a 16-year-old boy shot and killed on that corner this summer.

The little garden sprouts life in a place that holds the memory of cruelty, violence and death for so many in the neighborhood. Since Robinson’s murder, family, friends and neighbors have gathered near the corner to honor and remember him.

For a while, a photo and decorations hung on the stoplight as a tribute to Robinson, but Quick Food Market manager Greg Powell said the “morbid, melancholy” reminder of the death caused fear and discomfort among customers.

Camille Mays, founder and coordinator of Peace Garden Project MKE, said she worked with Robinson’s family to move the memorial from the roadside to what was then a vacant lot next to the store and plant a garden. The Peace Garden Project MKE is dedicated to “changing the landscape of our communities by adding art, landscaping and replacing makeshift memorials throughout our city,” according to its Facebook page.

Unlike memorials with teddy bears and paper decorations, which essentially become litter, the garden is a permanent and beautiful fixture in the community, Powell said. “We definitely got a little bit of our traffic back, and customers are more comfortable.”

The move from the public sidewalk to a designated area where a crowd can gather solved a problem that a proposed policy change aims to prevent.

At a City Public Works Committee meeting last month, Ald. Cavalier Johnson put forth a policy that would limit roadside memorials to stand no longer than 10 consecutive days and would allow people to visit only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Currently these memorials can remain for 30 days.

Roadside memorials are shrines along streets and sidewalks honoring someone who has died with photos, balloons, teddy bears, flowers and other decorations. They are common in central city neighborhoods, and many of the lost loved ones are victims of gun violence or car accidents. These memorials often serve as gathering spaces for people to mourn the loss.

Johnson’s proposal was in response to complaints from citizens in his district who pleaded with him to remove a memorial on their street.

Where people gathered at the memorial, they left behind muddy lawns, garbage, empty beer bottles and blunt wrappers. They parked their cars on neighbors’ private lots, hung out near the memorial late into the night and even grilled out in the street, Johnson said.

“The first young lady I spoke to had an infant child,” he said. “It’s hard enough to get some sleep at night because the baby keeps her awake, but now the baby can’t even sleep because folks are there at all hours of the morning.”

Johnson added, “We respect, of course, people’s wishes to go and mourn the people who have been lost, but we also have to respect the people in the neighborhoods.” He said the updated policy would give people a chance to reclaim their neighborhood after the incident.

Local activist Dennis Walton, outreach coordinator of the Milwaukee Fatherhood Initiative, said he understands both sides of the issue, but he thinks Johnson’s proposed legislation would fail to address the root problem.

“Telling someone that they can’t grieve after 8 o’clock at night is not going to solve the real problem,” Walton said. “Band-Aid policies like this aren’t going to do anything; it’s just going to cause more division among people.”

He said that especially with a complex issue such as gun violence, local elected officials should mediate between the parties and develop empathetic, proactive strategies to meet their needs.

Johnson’s proposed policy update also mandates that the city’s Office of Violence Prevention approach the family of the deceased when a street memorial is erected and inform them of the time limit.

Mays said she thinks the updated policy would be a compromise that takes into account both sides of the issue.

“This becomes really sensitive for certain families, and it can be part of their grieving process,” Mays said. “But you have to set a boundary in respect of the neighbors.”

Mays and other volunteers landscape projects such as the Robinson garden to make neighborhoods look nicer and honor someone who has died.

“The gardens are more of a representation of what we really mean with those (roadside) memorials. They should call her (Mays) over every time they take another memorial down,” Powell said. “The garden brings happier feelings to the area in these trying days.”

Johnson represents the 2nd District — bordered mainly by Mill Road on the north, Appleton Avenue on the west, Capitol Drive on the south and 60th Street on the east. When he first proposed the policy change, some aldermen opposed it because it would force removal of peaceful, long-standing memorials.

The proposal was amended to allow individual aldermen to override the policy and allow a memorial to stand longer. Aldermen Mark Borkowski, Robert Bauman, Nik Kovac, Jim Bohl and Bob Donovan then recommended adoption of the ordinance. However, the city attorney’s office determined that the most appropriate approach would be to change the existing Department of Public Works policy rather than enact the proposal into law.

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While Hurricane Nate was obviously not in the same class as Katrina, the last hurricane to hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it did provide gardeners a lesson in getting their landscapes ready before a storm.

I know it’s a bit backward to wait until after the storm to make a list of tips to get your garden ready ahead of time. But this was the first hurricane I’ve experienced since moving to the Gulf Coast, and I’ve been thinking what I could have done better in advance.

Many of these tips may be obvious, but I witnessed many homeowners who were unaware or just unconcerned about protecting their landscapes, so here are my thoughts on last-minute storm preparation for the garden.

Look for items around the house and yard that could become projectiles in the high winds. Always put away lawn furniture and hanging baskets.

Move containers, because they will get rearranged. I have lots of 15- and 25-gallon containers that weigh well over 100 pounds. I left them alone, and only a couple were tipped over. I could have used an old nursery trick and laid the big containers on their sides.

Late Saturday night as Nate was making landfall, the wind was blowing hard directly out the east. I was amazed at how many hard thuds I heard when objects hit the side of the house. I was really happy that I put our polycarbonate storm panels up. I wondered where all the objects were coming from, as I had cleaned and picked up my landscape and garden. Darn those neighbors.

Pick any veggies out of the garden that are almost ready. If you happen to experience flooding, any remaining on the vine are absolutely inedible. Besides, I’ve been told that fried green tomatoes are quite delicious.

The vast majority of preparation revolves around pruning since our trees and shrubs would receive most of the landscape damage.

Sometimes trees will bend and not break, but lean instead. This is especially true for newly planted trees. I call trees newly planted if they have been in the ground for three years or less. I saw lots of leaning trees when I drove around Ocean Springs the morning after that I thought could be straightened and staked or braced back into place. Staking or bracing may be required for an extended period — up to two years.

Remove any wires or bracing material that surrounds the trunk after the tree has become stable. Otherwise, the wires will girdle the trunk and inhibit future growth. Continue tree care after repairs are completed. They will need adequate soil moisture and mulch to conserve moisture as the dry fall months approach.

There’s going to be branch and limb damage that will impact the general health of the trees. Cut out broken, diseased and malformed branches, and give the tree a desirable shape.

Many homeowners really don’t know how to prune trees and shrubs correctly, and this makes them a little hesitant to prune at all. Through no fault of their own, they don’t really know where to start. In January 2015, we posted a video on the Mississippi State University Extension Service website that addresses pruning concerns. To see the video, visit https://goo.gl/zKptC9. Be sure to look at the portion that demonstrates the drop-cut method. At this point, if you’re unsure or have large, damaged limbs, contact a professional certified arborist.

I hope these landscape and garden tips will you get ready for the next storm we know is coming.

Gary Bachman, Ph.D, is an Extension and research professor of horticulture at the Mississippi State University Coastal Research and Extension Center in Biloxi. Contact him at southerngardening@msstate.edu.

Cutline:

Fifteen- and 25-gallon containers that weigh well over 100 pounds are likely safe in storms, but prestorm preparation should include moving smaller containers inside. (Photo by MSU Extension Service/Gary Bachman)

High-density apartment living is on the surge — and downsizers swapping spacious yards for tiny balconies may see no need to pack the garden gloves.

But organisers of a Canberra workshop on gardening in small spaces say anyone can be a green thumb, no matter how small their home is.

The initiative, jointly run by the Canberra Environment Centre and the Tenants’ Union ACT, covered a range of portable gardening ideas for small balconies, courtyards and backyards as well as tricks to keep landlords happy.

Canberra Environment Centre garden coordinator Karina Bontes said she has noticed a new “wave” of younger people wanting to grow their own food.

“A lot of people consider gardening to be something for the over 50s [age group] and there seems to be a resurgence of young people interested in gardening,” Ms Bontes said.

Nicola Hearn from the Tenants’ Union ACT said there were ways to be creative with spaces as small as a window sill.

“A big part of what we do is promoting tenants’ ability to feel like their place is their home, that it’s not [something they see as] just an investment property for someone else, owned by a random landlord or property manager,” Ms Hearn said.

“It’s their home, it’s where they live and things like gardens are important so we try and foster that.”

Benefits of being green

Ms Bontes says growing her own food has had a positive impact on her health and general lifestyle.

“I feel like it’s a big form of taking control of your own life,” she said.

“I feel that it gives you many more options than having to shop at a supermarket, when you don’t know necessarily who’s grown what, what they’ve put into it, how far it has had to come to be in the supermarket, and all of those processes.”